The upcoming election will be a watershed election as it will determine the direction that our state and county will take in the future. Dennis Richardson, Knute Buehler and Tony DeBone deserve our votes, as they have the vision and positions on the issues that will best serve us in the future.

Three terms of Gov. John Kitzhaber (and two of Ted Kulongowski) have led to the Cover Oregon and Columbia River Crossing debacles. Oregon high school graduation rates have fallen from the fourth worst to the second worst in the country. With more than $300 million in federal grant money at stake, Cover Oregon had failed to register a single Oregonian for healthcare by March 2014 and is now tied up in lawsuits. After a dozen years of work and $170 million to plan, the Columbia River Crossing project is dead, leaving us with no solution to the congestion at the current crossing. And these are only three of Oregon’s festering problems. It’s time for a change.

Richardson is running for governor and can provide that change. Richardson is a Vietnam veteran, an attorney and was elected to the Oregon Legislature in 2003. He has served in various legislative capacities including co-chair of the Ways and Means Committee, and in the 2005 session he was elected to serve as speaker pro tempore of the Oregon House of Representatives, all providing an excellent preparation to serve in the capacity of governor.

Democrat Craig Wilhelm is running for the House District 54 seat. The Bulletin has reported that they had a hard time pinning him down on his policy positions and that on most measures he has not yet made up his mind. Moreover, the Promote Oregon Leadership PAC (www.WhoisCraigWilhelm.com) reports that according to public records, Wilhelm has failed to pay some of his local property taxes on time, has failed to vote in 38 percent of local elections, has missed votes involving schools and public safety, and rather than registering his business in Oregon, registered it in Washington state.

On the other hand, Buehler, Wilhelm’s opponent, has been strongly endorsed by The Bulletin as “one of the finest candidates for public office Bend has produced in recent years.”

One only needs to review his web page to see his stand on the issues. He was born in Oregon, is a Rhodes Scholar, is very active in many community activities and is a well-known and respected surgeon. We would be well-served to have Buehler in the state Legislature with his expertise in the health care field, considering the difficulties with Oregon health care efforts.

DeBone is running to be re-elected as a Deschutes County commissioner and has served us well. His number one priority and the cornerstone of his campaign continue to be job creation. He has extensive experience in private and government sectors, having run two successful businesses over the past 11 years. He has used this experience in working on the Economic Development Council in Deschutes County to support creating jobs in Bend, Redmond, Sisters and La Pine. His effectiveness has been recognized by his election to be president of the council for the years 2015-16.

He is fiscally conservative, has kept taxes down and has twice voted to reduce taxes while in office and at the same time has successfully maintained and provided cost-effective services for all Deschutes County residents.

Jodie Barram and Jack Stillwell are running against DeBone. Neither of them have DeBone’s Deschutes County experience, nor do I believe either of them have the vision to continue taking Deschutes County into a better future.

These three candidates — Richardson, Buehler and DeBone — deserve our votes in the coming election. The state needs the changes that only Richardson and Buehler can bring about, and only DeBone can continue providing the leadership Deschutes County deserves.

— Keith Sime lives in Sunriver.